Eteocles and Polynices, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

In Greek mythology, Eteocles ʼΕτεοκλῆς was a king of Thebes, the son of Oedipus and either Jocasta or Euryganeia. The name is from earlier *Etewoklewes ʼΕτεϝοκλέϝες, meaning "truly glorious". Tawaglawas is thought to be the Hittite rendition of the name. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 263 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 2274 pixel, file size: 184 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Eteocles Polynices ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 263 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 2274 pixel, file size: 184 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Eteocles Polynices ... Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, c. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the telling of stories created by the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and their own cult and ritual practices. ... For the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, see Thebes, Egypt. ... Oedipus with the Sphinx, from an Attic red-figure cylix from the Vatican Museum, ca. ... In Greek mythology, Jocasta, also Iocaste (Iοκαστη) or Epikastê, was a daughter of Menocenes, Queen of Thebes, who unwittingly married Oedipus, her own son. ... The Tawagalawa letter (CTH 181) was written by a Hittite king (generally accepted as Hattusili III) to a king of Ahhiyawa around 1250 BC. This letter, of which only the third tablet has been preserved, concerns the activities of an adventurer Piyama-Radu against the Hittites, and requests his extradition... Hittite is the extinct language once spoken by the Hittites, a people who once created an empire centered on ancient Hattusas (modern BoÄŸazkale) in north-central Anatolia (modern Turkey). ...

When Oedipus discovered that he had killed his father Laius and married his mother, he was expelled from Thebes. The rule passed to his sons Eteocles and Polynices. However, because of a curse from their father, the two brothers did not share the rule peacefully. In Greek mythology, King Laius, or Laios of Thebes was a divine hero and key personage in the Theban founding myth. ... In Greek mythology, Polynices was the son of Oedipus and Jocasta. ...

Eteocles was succeeded by his son, Laodamas. In Greek mythology, Laódamas referred to three different people. ...

Oedipus's Curse

In the Thebais, the brothers were cursed by their father for their disrespect towards him on two occasions. The first of these occurred when they served him using the silver table of Cadmus and a golden cup, which he had forbidden. ^[1] The brothers then send him the haunch of a sacrificed animal, rather than the shoulder, which he deserved. Enraged, Oedipus prayed to Zeus that the brothers would die by each other's hands. ^[2] However, in Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus desired to stay in Thebes but was expelled by Creon. His sons argued over the throne, but Eteocles gained the support of the Thebans and expelled Polynices, who went to Oedipus to ask for his blessing to retake the city, but instead was cursed to die at his brother's hand. ^[3] Thebes (in Demotic Greek: Θήβα — Thíva, Katharevousa: — Thēbai or Thíve) is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. ... Cadmus Sowing the Dragons teeth, by Maxfield Parrish, 1908 Cadmus, or Kadmos (Greek: Κάδμος), in Greek mythology, was the son of the king of Phoenicia (Currently Lebanon)and brother of Europa. ... Sophocles (ancient Greek: ; 495 BC - 406 BC) was the second of three great ancient Greek tragedians. ... Oedipus at Colonus (also Oedipus Coloneus, and in Greek Οἰδίπους ἐπὶ Κολωνῷ) is one of the three Theban plays of the Athenian tragedian Sophocles. ...

Quarrel over the rule of Thebes

There are several accounts of how Eteocles and Polynices shared the rule after Oedipus' departure from the city. In Hellanikos' account, Eteocles offers his brother his choice of either the rule of the city or a share of the property. In Pherekydes, however, Eteocles expels Polynices by force, and keeps the rule of Thebes and the inheritance. Apollodorus and Diodorus state that the brothers agree to divide the kingship between them, switching each year. Eteocles, however, was allotted the first year, and refused to surrender the crown. ^[4] Hellanicus of Lesbos (in Ancient Greek Hellanicós) (born in Mytilene on the isle of Lesbos in 490 BC) was an ancient Greek logographer who flourished during the latter half of the 5th century BC. He is reputed to have lived to the age of 85. ... Pherecydes (in Greek: Φερεχύδης) was the name of: Pherecydes of Syros, a pre-Socratic philosopher and author from the island of Syros, by some believed to have influenced Pythagoras Pherecydes of Leros, an historian and mythologic writer from the island of Leros close to Miletos Pherecydes is also a spider genus... Apollodorus was a common name in ancient Greece. ... Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian, born at Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira, in the province of Enna). ...

In all of these versions, Polynices gathered the support of the Argives and attacked Thebes. This battle is the subject of Aeschylus' tragedy Seven Against Thebes. Although Eteocles' forces were victorious, the brothers killed each other. Argos (Greek: Άργος, Árgos) is a city in Greece in the Peloponnesus near Nafplio, which was its historic harbor, named for Nauplius. ... This article is about the ancient Greek playwright. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Επτά επί Θήβας The Seven Against Thebes is a mythic narrative that finds its classic statement in the play by Aeschylus (467 BCE) concerning the battle between the Seven led by Polynices and the army of Thebes headed by Eteocles and his supporters, traditional Theban...

Another Eteocles is the son of Andreus, king of Orchomenos (son of the river-god Peneus) and Euippe, daughter of Leucon. He inherited his father's throne. A king in Greek mythology, Orchomenus was the father of Elara. ... In Greek mythology, Peneus (Πηνειός) was a river god, one of the three-thousand Rivers, a child of Oceanus and Tethys. ... Pegasus on roof of Poznań Opera House In Greek mythology, Pegasus (Pegasos) was a winged horse that was the foal of Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and the Gorgon Medusa. ...

See also

• Epigoni

This is an article about the Greek myth. ...

Notes

1. ^ Gantz, Timothy. Early Greek Myth. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993, p. 502
2. ^ Gantz, Timothy. Early Greek Myth. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993, p. 503
3. ^ Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus, lines 1350-1395
4. ^ Apollodorus, Library, 3.6.1